Stanley Quande, 54, of Burien, Washington, died in an avalanche on Saturday, February 24th, in the rugged Mount Rainier backcountry adjacent to the Crystal Mountain ski area. Quande and his partner ducked under the boundary ropes near High Campbell Chair for a final run of the day shortly after 2:00 p.m. During the descent, Quande was caught in an avalanche. His friend watched him ride along on top of the sliding snow for several seconds before disappearing from view. Both skiers were wearing avalanche beacons, which transmit a signal to help searchers. Ski patrol members from Crystal Mountain and a ranger from Mount Rainier responded and began a search. They located Quande’s lifeless body on the surface of the avalanche debris and evacuated the body to Highway 410. Quande had 15 years of skiing experience and had skied the area many times. He was at Crystal Mountain with his wife and two teenage children for the weekend. The avalanche forecast for Saturday afternoon was for high avalanche danger above 4,000 feet. Crystal Mountain had received more than 60 inches of snow in the past six days.
